Battery pack

ABSTRACT

[Object] To prevent elements in a pack main body and an electronic apparatus from malfunctioning even if the pack main body having an outer shape line-symmetric in up and down directions and left- and right-hand directions is incorrectly attached. 
     [Solving Means] There are provided a pack main body  11  installing the battery cell  29  and a terminal portion  12  constituted of a plus terminal  12   a , a minus terminal  12   b , and a control terminal  12   c  that are provided on a front surface  11   c  of the pack main body  11 . The plus terminal  12   a , the minus terminal  12   b , and the control terminal  12   c  are provided so as to be deviated to one end portion  11   f  in a width direction of the front surface  11   c  and arranged in an order of the plus terminal  12   a , the control terminal  12   c , and the minus terminal  12   b . The sizes of the control terminal  12   c , the plus terminal  12   a , and the minus terminal  12   b  are increased in an order of the control terminal  12   c , the plus terminal  12   a , and the minus terminal  12   b  such that the control terminal  12   c  is formed to be the smallest. While being attachable to various electronic apparatuses, the pack main body can ensure a sufficient mechanical strength.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit under 35U.S.C. §120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/514,653, titled“BATTERY PACK,” filed Jun. 8, 2012, which is the National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/JP2010/007388, filed in the JapanesePatent Office as a Receiving Office on Dec. 21, 2010, which claims thepriority benefit of Japanese Patent Application Number 2009-299187,filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Dec. 29, 2009, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a battery pack attachable to aplurality of electronic apparatuses.

BACKGROUND ART

To a small electronic apparatus such as a digital still camera, adigital video camera, or a cellular phone, a battery pack for alithium-ion secondary battery or the like is detachably attached. In theexisting electronic apparatuses, battery packs are often prepared foreach model and thus arrangement of terminals in a battery attachmentportion varies depending on the model of the electronic apparatus.Although for example, in general, the terminals in the batteryattachment portion are often arranged in an order of a plus terminal, acontrol terminal, and a minus terminal, their intervals or the like aredifferent depending on the kind thereof. Thus, there are many caseswhere the battery pack corresponding to each electronic apparatus is notexcellent in general use and cannot be attached to various electronicapparatuses irrespective of the kind of the electronic apparatus.

Further, the battery pack is detached from the battery attachmentportion for charging or the like. Then, the user may accidentally dropthe battery pack when attaching or detaching the battery pack to/fromthe electronic apparatus. Thus, the battery pack also needs a mechanicalstrength enough to withstand a dropping impact.

CITED DOCUMENT Patent Document

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-176486

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a battery pack attachable to various electronicapparatuses and capable of ensuring a sufficient mechanical strength.

Means for Solving the Problem

A battery pack according to the present invention includes a pack mainbody installing a battery cell, a terminal portion constituted of a plusterminal, a minus terminal, and a control terminal that are provided ona front surface of the pack main body, and a window frame portionprovided with terminal windows through which the plus terminal, theminus terminal, and the control terminal are exposed to an outside. Theplus terminal, the minus terminal, and the control terminal are providedto be deviated to one end portion side in a width direction of the frontsurface and arranged in an order of the plus terminal, the controlterminal, and the minus terminal from the one end portion side. Further,the sizes of the terminals which are exposed through the window frameportion are increased in an order of the control terminal, the plusterminal, and the minus terminal such that the control terminal isformed to be the smallest.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, the plus terminal, the minusterminal, and the control terminal are provided to be deviated to oneend portion side in the width direction of the front surface of the packmain body and arranged in an order of the plus terminal, the controlterminal, and the minus terminal from the one end portion side. Further,the sizes of the terminals which are exposed through the window frameportion are increased in an order of the control terminal, the plusterminal, and the minus terminal such that the control terminal isformed to be the smallest. In the present invention, by setting theterminals to have different sizes, while being attachable to variouselectronic apparatuses, the battery pack can ensure a sufficientmechanical strength.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 A perspective view showing a state in which a battery pack towhich the present invention is applied is attached to a digital stillcamera.

FIG. 2 A perspective view of the battery pack to which the presentinvention is applied as viewed from an upper front side.

FIG. 3 An exploded perspective view of the battery pack to which thepresent invention is applied.

FIG. 4 A cross-sectional view of a front side of the battery pack towhich the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 A front view of the battery pack to which the present inventionis applied.

FIG. 6 A cross-sectional view of a top cover.

FIG. 7 A cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 A plan view of the battery pack to which the present invention isapplied.

FIG. 9 A back view of the battery pack to which the present invention isapplied.

FIG. 10 A flow chart of assembling the battery pack to which the presentinvention is applied.

FIG. 11 A plan view showing a rib for welding a top cover and a holder.

BEST MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a battery pack to which the present invention is appliedwill be described with reference to the drawings. It should be notedthat in the section of “Best Mode(s) for Carrying Out the Invention,” anapplication example of the present invention will be described in thefollowing order.

(1) Description of Digital Still Camera

(2) Description of Battery Pack

-   -   (2-1) Configuration of Battery Pack    -   (2-2) Assembly of Battery Pack    -   (2-3) Action of Battery Pack

(3) Modified Example

(1) Description of Digital Still Camera

As shown in FIG. 1, a battery pack 10 to which the present invention isapplied is attached to a digital still camera 100 being an electronicapparatus. The digital still camera 100 includes a thin camera main body101 having a substantially rectangular shape. In a front surface 101 aof the digital still camera 100, a lens portion 102 installing aplurality of lens groups such as a zoom lens and a collecting lens isprovided. Further, in one corner portion of an upper surface 101 b ofthe camera main body 101, a release button 103 that is pressed forphotographing a subject is provided. Further, on the upper surface 101 bside in the front surface 101 a of the camera main body 101, alight-emitting portion 104 that emits the light for flash photography isprovided. Adjacent to the light-emitting portion 104, a window portion105 being a finder is provided. In a substantially center portion in awidth direction of a lower surface 101 c of the camera main body 101, anattachment portion 106 for attaching a tripod or the like is provided.

In the lower surface 101 c of the camera main body 101, a batteryinsertion port 107 having a substantially rectangular shape for housingthe battery pack 10 and having substantially the same size and shape asthose of the front surface of the battery pack 10 is provided. Inaddition, in the lower surface 101 c of the camera main body 101, abattery lid 108 that opens and closes the battery insertion port 107 isprovided. In the camera main body 101, a battery attachment portion 111is provided to be continuous with the battery insertion port 107. Invicinity of the battery insertion port 107, a lock member 112 forholding the battery pack 10 attached to the battery attachment portion111 in an attachment position is provided. The lock member 112 isengaged to a corner portion of a back surface 11 d of the battery pack10 urged in an ejection direction due to a spring pressure in electricalcontacts and an ejection spring when the battery pack 10 is attached tothe battery attachment portion 111, to thereby prevent the battery pack10 from dropping out of the battery attachment portion 111.Specifically, the lock member 112 is provided in vicinity of the batteryinsertion port 107 so as to be rotatable. When a tip portion of the lockmember 112 is placed on the battery insertion port 107 by rotationoperation, the lock member 112 is engaged to the corner portion of theback surface 11 d of the battery pack 10 attached to the batteryattachment portion 111. With this, the lock member 112 prevents thebattery pack 10 from being ejected through the battery insertion port107 from the battery attachment portion 111 due to the spring pressurein the electrical contacts or the spring pressure of the ejectionspring.

It should be noted that in order to detach the battery pack 10 from thebattery attachment portion 111, the lock member 112 only needs to berotated to be retracted from the battery insertion port 107 so that theengagement state between the corner portion of the back surface of thebattery pack 10 and the lock member 112 is released. With this, thebattery pack 10 automatically projects and is ejected through thebattery insertion port 107 due to the spring pressure in the electricalcontacts or the spring pressure of the ejection spring.

(2) Description of Battery Pack

As the battery pack 10 that is inserted through the battery insertionport 107, is attached to the battery attachment portion 111, andsupplies power to the camera main body 101, for example, a lithium-ionpolymer secondary battery is used.

(2-1) Configuration of Battery Pack

The battery pack 10 includes, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pack mainbody 11 installing therein a battery cell 29 of the lithium-ion polymersecondary battery. The pack main body 11 is formed to generally have asubstantially-rectangular and flat shape and to include an upper surface11 a and a lower surface 11 b that are plane. A front surface 11 c and aback surface 11 d are formed to each include a step portion, although asurface formed in each step portion is plane. Further, both sidesurfaces 11 e and 11 f are formed of circular arcs projecting to theoutside. In other words, the pack main body 11 has substantially thesame thickness from the front surface 11 c to the back surface 11 d.Additionally, the pack main body 11 is formed to be line-symmetric withrespect to a centerline P1 in the width direction and to be alsosubstantially line-symmetric with respect to a centerline P2 in athickness direction as viewed from the front surface 11 c side, thefront surface 11 c being a terminal arrangement surface to which theterminal portion 12 is provided.

The front surface 11 c of the pack main body 11 is used as an insertionend to the battery insertion port 107 of the digital still camera 100.In the front surface 11 c, the terminal portion 12 is provided. Theterminal portion 12 is electrically connected when brought intopress-contact with the electrical contacts formed in a bottom surface ofthe battery attachment portion 111. Thus, for example, even if thebattery pack 10 is inserted into the battery insertion port 107 with theupper surface 11 a and the lower surface 11 b being in reversedirections, that is, back to front, the battery pack 10 can be easilydetached from the battery attachment portion 111.

The battery pack 10 is formed such that a plus terminal 12 a, a minusterminal 12 b, and a control terminal 12 c constituting the terminalportion 12 in the front surface 11 c of the pack main body 11 havedifferent sizes. With this, in the battery pack 10, it becomes possiblethat the terminals 12 a to 12 c are brought into contact with not onlythe electrical contacts in the battery attachment portion 111 of thedigital still camera 100, but also electrical contacts in a batteryattachment portion of a digital still camera of a different model. Inaddition, the terminals 12 a to 12 c of the battery pack 10 is alsobrought into contact with electrical contacts in a battery attachmentportion of a different electronic apparatus.

The pack main body 11 includes, as shown in FIG. 3, a can main body 13generally having a substantially-rectangular and flat-tube shape. Byproviding a resin layer of nylon or the like on a surface of metalmaterial such as aluminum, the can main body 13 achieves electricalinsulation in the surface and surface protection. Further, regarding aninner surface of the pack main body 11, by providing a resin layerexcellent in insulation and bending property, which is formed ofpolypropylene or the like, on this inner surface, it is possible tothermally weld a top cover 14 and a bottom cover 15 that closes thefront-surface-side opening portion 13 a and the back-surface-sideopening portion 13 b that are opened in the can main body 13. In the canmain body 13, the battery cell 29 being the lithium polymer secondarybattery is loaded and a plus lead terminal 16 and a minus lead terminal17 are introduced from the front-surface-side opening portion 13 a side.

Regarding the front-surface-side opening portion 13 a into which theplus lead terminal 16 and the minus lead terminal 17 are introduced, asshown in FIG. 3, the wiring substrate 18 is incorporated in a holder 19and the holder 19 with the wiring substrate 18 being incorporatedtherein is inserted through the front-surface-side opening portion 13 a.The wiring substrate 18 held by the holder 19 incorporated in thefront-surface-side opening portion 13 a is covered with the top cover14.

Here, the wiring substrate 18 is a rigid printed wiring substrate havingsubstantially the same shape and size as those of the front-surface-sideopening portion 13 a. On one surface on the holder 19 side, and further,the other surface on the opposite side of the wiring substrate 18, aplurality of electronic components 18 a are mounted. Specifically, oneach surface of the wiring substrate 18, as electronic components 18 a,a protection element on which a protection circuit for the battery cell29 is formed, a microcomputer for performing a data communication of,for example, sending battery charge data to the electronic apparatus(e.g., digital still camera 100) attached thereto, an FET element (FieldEffect Transistor) that performs a charge control, and the like aremounted. Further, the wiring substrate is provided with a plus tab 18 band a minus tab 18 c. To the plus tab 18 b, the plus lead terminal 16introduced from the battery cell 29 is fixed by welding such asresistance welding. Further, to the minus tab 18 c, via a PTC (PositiveTemperature Coefficient) 18 d, the minus lead terminal 17 is fixed bywelding such as resistance welding. It should be noted that theresistance of the PTC 18 d is rapidly increased when the temperature ofthe battery cell 29 is increased with respect to a setting temperature,so that a current flowing in the battery cell 29 is substantially shutoff.

As described above, the wiring substrate 18 including the surfaces onwhich the electronic components are mounted and including the leadterminals 16 and 17 fixed thereto is, as shown in FIG. 3, positioned andattached to one surface, that is, surface on an opposite side to thebattery cell 29, of the holder 19. The holder 19 is formed to be capableof fitting into the front-surface-side opening portion 13 a of the canmain body 13. In one long side of the holder 19, cutouts 19 a forpassing the plus lead terminal 16 and the minus lead terminal 17therethrough to one surface to which the wiring substrate 18 is fixedare formed. The holder 19 is formed of, for example, resin material suchas polypropylene. After assembled into the top cover 14, the holder 19is fitted into the front-surface-side opening portion 13 a of the canmain body 13 and fixed by thermal welding together with the top cover14.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, on the other surface, that is, surface on thetop cover 14 side, of the wiring substrate 18, three terminals of theplus terminal 12 a, the minus terminal 12 b, and the control terminal 12c that become the terminal portion 12 are formed. The plus terminal 12 ais connected to the plus lead terminal 16 and the minus terminal 12 b isconnected to the minus lead terminal 17. Further, the control terminal12 c is connected to the microcomputer arranged on the wiring substrate18 and outputs data output from the microcomputer to an external deviceto which the battery pack 10 is attached. Specifically, those threeterminals 12 a to 12 c are arranged and provided in one row on thecenterline P2 in the thickness direction. The three terminals 12 a to 12c are provided in equal intervals in an order of the plus terminal 12 a,the control terminal 12 c, and the minus terminal 12 b from the sidesurface 11 f on one end portion side of the pack main body 11. The threeterminals 12 a to 12 c are formed to be generally deviated to the sidesurface 11 f side on the one end portion side of the pack main body 11.

Here, regarding the sizes of the three terminals 12 a to 12 c, these areincreased in an order of the control terminal 12 c, the plus terminal 12a, and the minus terminal 12 b so that the control terminal 12 c isformed to be the smallest. It is necessary for the plus terminal 12 aand the minus terminal 12 b to ensure stable power supply and a lowresistance with respect to the digital still camera 100, and for thisreason, the plus terminal 12 a and the minus terminal 12 b are formed tobe larger than the control terminal 12 c. The control terminal 12 c is aterminal designed for communication with the digital still camera 100,and hence the control terminal 12 c only needs to have a single contact.Therefore, the control terminal 12 c is formed to be the smallest. Thecontrol terminal 12 c is the smallest terminal, and hence becomes areference for positioning the three terminals 12 a to 12 c in the frontsurface 11 c of the pack main body 11.

Further, although the plus terminal 12 a and the minus terminal 12 b arelarger than the control terminal 12 c, specifically, comparing the sizeof the plus terminal 12 a with the size of the minus terminal 12 b, theminus terminal 12 b is larger than the plus terminal 12 a. The plusterminal 12 a is provided to be the closest to the side surface 11 f onthe one end portion side of the pack main body 11, and thus, it is aportion likely to bump against the digital still camera 100, forexample, when the battery pack 10 is attached or detached. Althoughthere is a case where a casing of the digital still camera 100 is a GND,in this case, if the plus terminal 12 a bumps against the casing of thedigital still camera 100 that is the GND, there is a fear that a shortcircuit occurs. Further, when the position of the control terminal 12 cis used as the reference, the plus terminal 12 a is positioned on theside surface 11 f side on the one end portion side of the pack main body11, and hence the control terminal 12 c cannot be infinitely increasedin size due to arrangement limitation. Further, when the plus terminal12 a is set to be as large as the minus terminal 12 b and is increasedin size, the mechanical strength in the corner of the top cover 14 islowered. In view of this, the plus terminal 12 a is formed to be smallerthan the minus terminal 12 b.

The other surface of the wiring substrate 18 on which theabove-mentioned terminals 12 a to 12 c are provided is covered with theabove-mentioned top cover 14 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The top cover 14is formed to be capable of fitting into and closing thefront-surface-side opening portion 13 a of the can main body 13 andconstitutes the front surface 11 c of the pack main body 11. The topcover 14 is formed of, for example, resin material such aspolypropylene. The top cover 14 is fitted into the front-surface-sideopening portion 13 a of the can main body 13 and then fixed by thermalwelding.

In the top cover 14, terminal windows 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c which aremembers that become a window frame portion for the plus terminal 12 a,the minus terminal 12 b, and the control terminal 12 c and through whichthe plus terminal 12 a, the minus terminal 12 b, and the controlterminal 12 c are exposed to the outside are formed. Specifically,through the terminal window 14 a, the plus terminal 12 a is exposed tothe outside. Through the terminal window 14 b, the minus terminal 12 bis exposed to the outside. Through the terminal window 14 c, the controlterminal 12 c is exposed to the outside. The terminal windows 14 a to 14c are opened to have a substantially rectangular shape, through whichthe terminals 12 a to 12 c are exposed to the outside. The terminalwindows 14 a to 14 c have different sizes correspondingly to thedifferent sizes of the terminals 12 a to 12 c as described above. Thatis, regarding the sizes of the terminals, the plus terminal 12 a, theminus terminal 12 b, and the control terminal 12 c have substantiallythe same length in the thickness direction and the lengths thereof inthe width direction are increased in an order of the control terminal 12c, the plus terminal 12 a, and the minus terminal 12 b. Corresponding tothis, also regarding the sizes of the terminal windows 14 a to 14 c, theterminal window 14 a, the terminal window 14 b, and the terminal window14 c have substantially the same length in the thickness direction andthe lengths thereof in the width direction are increased in an order ofthe terminal window 14 c, the terminal window 14 a, and the terminalwindow 14 b.

Here, referring to FIGS. 6 to 7, each of sides of the terminal windows14 a to 14 c formed to have a substantially rectangular shape will bedescribed. Basically, in the sides of the terminal windows 14 a to 14 c,taper portions are formed to be inclined downwardly inward so that itbecomes easy for the electrical contacts provided in the bottom surfaceof the battery attachment portion 111 of the digital still camera 100 tobe inserted and brought into press-contact with the terminals 12 a to 12c. In all four sides of the terminal window 14 c through which thecontrol terminal 12 c is exposed to the outside, first taper portions 20a are formed. Further, regarding the terminal window 14 a through whichthe plus terminal 12 a is exposed to the outside, in one side close tothe side surface 11 f on the one end portion side of the pack main body11, a second taper portion 20 b steeper than the first taper portions 20a is formed and in the other three sides, first taper portions 20 a areformed. Further, regarding the terminal window 14 b through which theminus terminal 12 b is exposed to the outside, a side on an oppositeside to the side surface 11 f on the one end portion side of the packmain body 11, a perpendicular wall portion 20 c substantiallyperpendicular to the minus terminal 12 b is formed and in the otherthree sides, first taper portions 20 a are formed. It should be notedthat a taper may be formed also in the perpendicular wall portion 20 c,the taper having an inclination necessary for removing it from a mold inmolding.

As described above, regarding the terminal windows 14 a to 14 c, byproviding the sides on the upper surface 11 a side and the lower surface11 b side of the pack main body 11 with the first taper portions 20 a,it becomes easy for the electrical contacts of the battery attachmentportion 111 to be brought into contact with the terminals 12 a to 12 c.

In addition, the battery pack 10 can be attached to a battery attachmentportion of a different electronic apparatus other than the digital stillcamera 100. The positions of electrical contacts of a battery attachmentportion of the different electronic apparatus are different in someextent from the positions of the electrical contacts of the batteryattachment portion 111 of the digital still camera 100. Even in such acase, regarding the terminal windows 14 a to 14 c, except for the secondtaper portion 20 b of the terminal window 14 a for the plus terminal 12a and the perpendicular wall portion 20 c of the terminal window 14 bfor the minus terminal 12 b of the pack main body 11, the first taperportions 20 a are formed in the sides in the width direction of thefront surface 11 c. Thus, even when attached to the battery attachmentportion of the electronic apparatus different from the digital stillcamera 100, it is easy for the electrical contacts of the batteryattachment portion 111 to be brought into contact with the terminals 12a to 12 c. In other words, even if the positions of the electricalcontacts of the different electronic apparatus are different from thepositions of the electrical contacts of the digital still camera 100, itis easy for the electrical contacts of the battery attachment portion111 to be brought into contact with the terminals 12 a to 12 c.

Additionally, one side, which is close to the side surface 11 f on theone end portion side of the pack main body 11, of the terminal window 14a for the plus terminal 12 a is located at the endmost on the frontsurface 11 c of the pack main body 11. Therefore, in order to ensure amechanical strength in the corner of the top cover 14, the second taperportion 20 b steeper than the first taper portions 20 a is formed. Thus,in the terminal window 14 a for the plus terminal 12 a, it is possibleto realize a function of introducing the electrical contact of thebattery attachment portion and at the same time to ensure a mechanicalstrength. It should be noted that the second taper portion 20 b may beset to be a perpendicular wall portion if giving priority to amechanical strength.

In addition, in some electronic apparatuses other than the digital stillcamera 100, in a center portion in a bottom portion of a batteryattachment portion, in addition to the electrical contacts, an ejectionspring formed of a coil spring or the like for ejecting the battery packfrom the battery attachment portion can be provided. Regarding theterminal window 14 b for the minus terminal 12 b, the side on theopposite side to the side surface 11 f on the one end portion side ofthe pack main body 11 is set to be the perpendicular wall portion 20 c.The side on the opposite side to the side surface 11 f on the one endportion side of the terminal window 14 b for the minus terminal 12 b isset to be not the taper portion but the perpendicular wall portion 20 c,and hence the ejection spring abuts against the minus terminal 12 b,which can prevent a short circuit from occurring.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, between the terminal window 14 a forthe plus terminal 12 a and the terminal window 14 c for the controlterminal 12 c and between the terminal window 14 c for the controlterminal 12 c and the terminal window 14 b for the minus terminal 12 b,partition portions 21 and 21 having the same width and height areformed. The partition portions 21 and 21 partition the terminal windows14 a to 14 c.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 8, in the top cover 14, a stepportion 14 d that separates the front surface 11 c into two steps in thewidth direction is formed to be close to the side surface 11 e being oneend portion of the pack main body 11. The terminal windows 14 a to 14 care formed in a lower surface 14 e. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, of thewiring substrate 18 located in an inside of the top cover 14, on notonly the surface of the holder 19 side, but also the surface on the topcover 14 side, the electronic components 18 a are mounted. On thesurface on the top cover 14 side of the wiring substrate 18, in a regioncorresponding to a higher surface 14 f via the step portion 14 e of thetop cover 14, the electronic components 18 a are mounted. In otherwords, the higher surface 14 f forms between the top cover 14 and thewiring substrate 18 a space for arranging the electronic components 18a. It should be noted that FIG. 5 shows only the electronic components18 a mounted on the surface on the top cover 14 side of the wiringsubstrate 18.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the back-surface-sideopening portion 13 b of the can main body 13 is closed with the bottomcover 15. The bottom cover 15 is formed of, for example, resin materialsuch as polypropylene and fixed by thermal welding after fitted into theback-surface-side opening portion 13 b of the can main body 13. In acenter portion in the width direction of the bottom cover 15, a labelattachment recess portion 22 is formed. Further, in the bottom cover 15,a positioning recess portion 23 is formed. To the positioning recessportion 23, the lock member 112, a positioning protrusion of a charger,or the like is engaged when one end portion of the bottom cover 15 isattached to the battery attachment portion 111. The positioning recessportion 23 is formed in a position slightly deviated to the lowersurface 11 b side of the pack main body 11 with respect to thecenterline P2 in the thickness direction and deviated to the sidesurface 11 f side of the pack main body 11 with respect to thecenterline P1 in the width direction.

It should be noted that to the upper surface 11 a and the lower surface11 b including the label attachment recess portion 22 of the pack mainbody 11, a label may be attached. When the label is attached to the packmain body 11, it is possible to prevent the bottom cover 15 fromdropping out. Further, on the label, a “+” mark, a “T” mark, a “−” mark,and a “C” mark may be printed correspondingly to the positions of theterminal windows 14 a to 14 c and an arrow indicating an attachmentdirection of the battery pack 10 to the battery attachment portion maybe printed. With this, it is possible to improve the usability of thebattery pack 10.

(2-2) Assembly of Battery Pack

Next, a method of assembling the battery pack 10 configured as describedabove will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

First, in Step S1, the PTC 18 d to be attached to the wiring substrate18 is incorporated in a jig. In Step S2, the wiring substrate 18 onwhich the electronic components 18 a such as the protection element, themicrocomputer, the FET element, a thermistor, and the like are mountedis incorporated in a jig. In Step S3, the pack main body 11 constitutedof the can main body 13 in which the battery cell 29 is loaded and thelead terminals 16 and 17 are cut into a predetermined length isincorporated in a jig. After that, in Step S4, to the plus tab 18 b ofthe wiring substrate 18, the plus lead terminal 16 introduced from thebattery cell 29 is electrically connected by resistance welding or thelike. Further, to the minus tab 18 c of the wiring substrate 18, theminus lead terminal 17 introduced from the battery cell 29 iselectrically connected by resistance welding or the like. In Step S5,the lead terminals 16 and 17 subjected to resistance welding are foldedin a predetermined shape.

In Step S6, the wiring substrate 18 is incorporated in the holder 19.Further, in Step S7, the holder 19 is incorporated in the top cover 14.Then, in Step S8, the holder 19 and the top cover 14 are subjected toimpulse welding and it is incorporated in the front-surface-side openingportion 13 a of the can main body 13.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the top cover 14 and the holder 19 arefixed by inserting into through-holes 19 b formed on both sides of theholder 19 ribs 24 formed on both sides of the back surface of the topcover 14 and subjecting the ribs 24 to impulse welding. Recess portions18 e formed on both sides of the wiring substrate 18 are engaged to theribs 24 of the top cover 14 between the top cover 14 and the holder 19.

Here, the ribs 24 and 24 on the both sides in the width direction of theback surface of the top cover 14 are formed to have a flat shape in aninside in a direction of the front surface 11 c of the pack main body 11and a circular arc shape on the side surfaces 11 e and 11 f side.Further, the ribs 24 and 24 are formed to have a substantially D-shapedcross-section. Further, the through-holes 19 b and 19 b formed on theboth sides of the holder 19 are also formed to have a substantiallyD-shape correspondingly to the ribs 24 and 24. In other words, outersurfaces of the ribs 24 and 24 are formed to have a circular arc shapecorrespondingly to the fact that the both side surfaces 11 e and 11 f ofthe pack main body 11 have a circular arc shape and the both endportions in the width direction of the top cover 14 formed to have acircular arc shape correspondingly to the shape of the both sidesurfaces 11 e and 11 f. Thus, the ribs 24 and 24 can be formed to becloser to the both end portions in the width direction of the backsurface of the top cover 14 while ensuring a mechanical strength. Thus,the space between the wiring substrate 18 and the top cover 14 can becorrespondingly increased. With this, on the surface on the top cover 14side of the wiring substrate 18, an increased number of electroniccomponents 18 a can be mounted.

In Step S9, in the back-surface-side opening portion 13 b of the canmain body 13, the bottom cover 15 is incorporated and the top cover 14and the bottom cover 15 are, in Step S10, thermally welded to the canmain body 13.

After that, in Step S11, a lot-printed label is supplied and attachedonto the upper surface 11 a, the back surface 11 d, and the lowersurface 11 b of the pack main body 11 including the front-surface-sideopening portion 13 a and the back-surface-side opening portion 13 b thatare closed with the top cover 14 and the bottom cover 15. It should benoted that although the example in which the top cover 14 and the bottomcover 15 are formed as separate parts is shown herein, a frame formed tohave a substantially rectangular shape so as to be capable of housingthe pack main body 11 in its center portion may be attached to the packmain body 11. In this case, a front surface of the frame has the sameshape as that of the above-mentioned top cover and a back surface of theframe has the same shape as that of the above-mentioned bottom cover.

(2-3) Action of Battery Pack

In the battery pack 10 assembled and configured as described above, thefront surface 11 c of the pack main body 11 provided with the terminalportion 12 is used as an insertion end into the battery attachmentportion of the electronic apparatus. When the battery pack 10 isattached to a battery attachment portion of a compatible electronicapparatus, the terminals 12 a to 12 c are brought into contact with theplus, minus, and control electrical contacts for corresponding to them.The three terminals 12 a to 12 c of the battery pack 10 have differentsizes as shown in FIG. 5 and the like. Specifically, in the battery pack10, the three terminals 12 a to 12 c are formed to have sizes increasedin an order of the control terminal 12 c, the plus terminal 12 a, andthe minus terminal 12 b. The positions and sizes of the three terminals12 a to 12 c are set so that the three terminals 12 a to 12 c can bebrought into contact with the electrical contacts of the batteryattachment portion of the compatible electronic apparatus. With this,the terminals of the battery pack 10 can be brought into contact withnot only the electrical contacts in the battery attachment portion 111of the digital still camera 100 described above, but also electricalcontacts in a battery attachment portion of a digital still camera of adifferent model. In addition, the terminals of the battery pack 10 canbe also brought into contact with electrical contacts in a batteryattachment portion of a different electronic apparatus. Thus, thebattery pack 10 can be used as a power source for a plurality ofelectronic apparatuses.

In view of use of the battery pack 10, the battery pack 10 is formedsuch that the plus terminal 12 a and the minus terminal 12 b are largerthan the control terminal 12 c. Thus, in the battery pack 10, it becomespossible to realize multipoint contact between the plus terminal 12 aand the minus terminal 12 b and the electrical contacts and stable powersupply and low resistance can be realized.

In addition, by setting the plus terminal 12 a to be larger than thecontrol terminal 12 c and smaller than the minus terminal 12 b, it ispossible to prevent a short circuit in contact with the electronicapparatus and to ensure a sufficient mechanical strength on the sidesurface 11 f side of the top cover 14. In addition, the side in thewidth direction of the terminal window 14 a for the plus terminal 12 ais formed to be steeper than the first taper portions 20 a, and hence itis possible to realize introduction of the electrical contacts of thebattery attachment portion 111 and at the same time to prevent themechanical strength of the corner portion on the side surface 11 f sideof the pack main body 11 from being lowered. In addition, the side inthe inside of the terminal window 14 b for the minus terminal 12 b isset to be the perpendicular wall portion 20 c, and hence it is possibleto prevent an ejection spring attached to an electronic apparatus otherthan the digital still camera 100 from being brought into contact withthe minus terminal 12 b, which leads to a short circuit. Further,regarding the terminal windows 14 a to 14 c, by providing the side onthe upper surface 11 a side and the lower surface 11 b side of the packmain body 11 with the first taper portions 20 a, it becomes possiblethat the electrical contacts of the battery attachment portion 111 ofthe digital still camera 100 or the other electronic apparatuses areeasily brought into contact with the terminals 12 a to 12 c.

It should be noted that the front surface 11 c and the back surface 11 dof the pack main body 11 may be provided with a small recess portion, aprotrusion portion, a groove, or the like for various purposes such asprevention of incorrect insertion or determination of the kind of abattery. Further, as the battery cell, it is not limited to thelithium-ion polymer secondary battery.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

10 battery pack, 11 pack main body, 11 a upper surface, 11 b lowersurface, 11 c front surface, 11 d back surface, 11 e, 11 f side surface,12 terminal portion, 12 a plus terminal, 12 b minus terminal, 12 ccontrol terminal, 13 can main body, 13 a front-surface-side openingportion, 13 b back-surface-side opening portion, 14 top cover, 14 a to14 c terminal window, 14 d step portion, 14 e lower surface, 14 f highersurface, 15 bottom cover, 16 plus lead terminal, 17 minus lead terminal,18 wiring substrate, 18 a electronic component, 18 b plus tab, 18 cminus tab, 18 e recess portion, 19 holder, 19 a cutout, 19 bthrough-hole, 20 a first taper portion, 20 b second taper portion, 20 cperpendicular wall portion, 21, 21 partition portion, 22 labelattachment recess portion, 23 positioning recess portion, 24 rib, 29battery cell, 100 digital still camera, 101 camera main body, 107battery insertion port, 108 battery lid, 111 battery attachment portion,112 lock member

The invention claimed is:
 1. A battery pack, comprising: a window frameportion disposed on a first end side of a pack body and provided withterminal windows comprising a first terminal window corresponding to aplus terminal, a second terminal window corresponding to a minusterminal, and a third terminal window corresponding to a third terminal,wherein the battery pack has a first side and a second side opposite thefirst side, wherein the terminal windows are arranged in an order of thefirst terminal window, the third terminal window, and the secondterminal window from the first side, wherein a size of the thirdterminal window is smaller than each of the first and second terminalwindows, and wherein at least one of two side portions of the batterypack has at least one curved surface, the two side portions beingdisposed at the first side and at the second side of the battery pack.2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the terminals areexposed to the outside through the terminal windows each having asubstantially rectangular shape.
 3. The battery pack according to claim2, wherein each of the terminal windows is, at least in a side thereofin a width direction of the window frame portion, provided with a taperportion.
 4. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein a side on thefirst terminal window on the first side and a side on the secondterminal window on the second side are steeper than the other sides ofthe first and second terminal windows.
 5. The battery pack according toclaim 1, wherein to a substrate portion to which a lead terminal of abattery cell is connected, a holder that holds the substrate portion,and the window frame portion to cover the substrate portion held by theholder are attached.
 6. The battery pack according to claim 5, whereinthe window frame portion is provided with a rib to be integrated withthe holder, and the rib has a flat portion in an inside of the batterypack and a curved surface opposite the flat surface.
 7. The battery packaccording to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first terminalwindow and the first side is shorter than a distance between the secondterminal window and the second side.
 8. The battery pack according toclaim 1, wherein the terminal windows are deviated to a first side in awidth direction of the window frame portion, the width direction being adirection in which the terminals are aligned.
 9. The battery packaccording to claim 1, wherein the plus terminal, the minus terminal, andthe third terminal are disposed along a line extending in a widthdirection of the window frame portion.
 10. The battery pack according toclaim 9, wherein sizes of the plus terminal, the minus terminal, and thethird terminal are increased in an order of the third terminal, the plusterminal, and the minus terminal.
 11. The battery pack according toclaim 1, wherein the first and the second terminal windows do notoverlap with a mirror image of the first and the second terminal windowswith respect to a center line in a width direction of the window frameportion.
 12. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the firstand the second terminal windows are arranged asymmetrically to eachother with respect to a center line in a width direction of the windowframe portion.
 13. The battery pack according to claim 1, furthercomprising a second end portion disposed on a second end side of thepack body, opposite the first end side, the second end portion having arecess portion, wherein the recess portion is provided at a positioncloser to the first side than the second side of the battery pack. 14.The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the recess portion isdeviated to a direction perpendicular to a width direction of the secondend portion, the width direction being a direction in which theterminals are aligned.
 15. The battery pack according to claim 1,wherein an external shape of the battery pack is symmetrical withrespect to a center line in a width direction of the window frameportion, as viewed from the first end side of the battery pack.
 16. Thebattery pack according to claim 1, wherein the window frame portioncovers a terminal portion, the terminal portion comprising the plusterminal, the minus terminal, and the third terminal.
 17. The batterypack according to claim 13, wherein a thickness of the window frameportion in a longitudinal direction of the battery pack is greater thana thickness of the second end portion in the longitudinal direction. 18.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the window frame portionincludes a first level portion deviated to the second side.
 19. Thebattery pack according to claim 18, wherein the first, second, and thirdterminal windows are provided in the window frame portion between thefirst level portion and the first side.
 20. The battery pack accordingto claim 19, wherein an area of a surface of the window frame portionbetween the first level portion and the second side is smaller than anarea of a surface of the window frame portion between the first levelportion and the first side.
 21. The battery pack according to claim 13,wherein the second end portion includes second level portions.
 22. Thebattery pack according to claim 21, wherein the recess portion islocated in the second end portion between the second level portions andthe second side.
 23. The battery pack according to claim 21, wherein thesecond end portion comprises two level portions located on oppositesides of a center line in a width direction of the second end portion.24. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the third terminalcomprises a terminal adapted to communicate with an electronic device tooutput information.
 25. The battery pack according to claim 1, whereinthe third terminal comprises a terminal adapted for an electronic deviceto obtain information.
 26. The battery pack according to claim 1,wherein the at least one curved surface comprises a substantiallycircular arc surface, and the two side portions of the battery pack aresubstantially symmetric to each other.
 27. The battery pack according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one curved surface comprises a firstcurved surface connected with a first portion of the battery pack and asecond curved surface connected with a second portion of the batterypack, the first and second portions being disposed on opposite sides ofthe battery pack.
 28. The battery pack according to claim 27, whereinthe pack body comprises the first portion, the second portion, and thetwo side portions.
 29. The battery pack of any of claims 1, wherein thewindow frame portion covers a terminal portion, the terminal portionconsisting of the plus terminal, the minus terminal, and the thirdterminal.